Lost Creek --> Kenosha --> Breck?

I'm working on planning a long weekend in late July around Breck. I'm going to be heading up with maybe a couple other Fri AM with other showing up that evening, so it's a perfect opportunity for the early group to hit Kenosha to Breck. I saw a mention of adding about 25 miles by starting at Lost Creek campsite. I'm trying to find it on a map. Can you ride Lost Creek to Kenosha all on the CT or do you have wilderness area detour issues? Would this be a nice addition? I really need to pick up that CO Trail guidebook, but in the meantime I figured someone here would have the quick 411. Thanks, S

7.5 miles (or thereabouts) east of Kenosha on the CT is Lost Creek Wilderness...so I'm not seeing a good way to add 25miles to the 32 mile jaunt from Kenosha to Breck....no idea where this Lost Creek campground is you speak of though...

FWIW, the detour around Lost Creek Wilderness doesn't look too fun. Buy the book, staring at a copy of a friends now and it's really good.

Ok, that's what I was afraid of. I knew that LC was a wilderness area, but had no idea where it was relative to Kenosha. So I think we'll be sticking with the tried and true KP starting point. Now if I can just convince at least two of the guys coming up later to drive an extra 50 mins via 285 and pick up our car! Thanks, S

I've looking for a someone to do a Kenosha to Copper trip with.

Same long weekend time frame, I was looking at Kenosha to Breck to Copper and then to Camp Hale. I've been planning a "self- supported" trip and just checking into the cheapest rooms I can find and then riding out for evening eats.

The sticker is, that I don't want to "rinse and repeat" (ride back). If I could find somebody/couple to arrange a shuttle, back from Camp Hale to Kenosha that would be ideal.

Lost creek is a nice, non-technical ride. It is not an epic like Kenosha Pass, but it is a good shorter ride in and of itself. It's similar to a single one of the drainages of Reno-Flag-Bear-Deadman ride in CB.

However because of the wilderness area at the upper end of the ride, the only way (that I know of) to connect to the Kenosha-Georgia-Breck ride is by road. This would mean a handful of miles on lightly traveled dirt road, and a few more miles riding on highway 285 up to Kenosha Pass (from the south).

Perhaps the best way to combine the two is to camp at Lost Creek, and do the Lost Creek ride the afternoon of arrival, and the big Kenosha-Georgia-Breck ride the next day (by driving to the trailhead).

It's been a few years, but I'm gonna guess the Lost Creek ride is 3 hours round trip.

Last edited by rapwithtom; 06-22-2006 at 12:38 AM.

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No, no. There is no need to ride along 285 to get to Kenosha from Lost Creek!! You have to CROSS 285 once, right at Kenosha but that's it.

There is a stretch of dirt road you have to ride to get around that little bit of "CT is in the wilderness" section.

If you are starting from the east end (where I think the Lost Creek campground is that you are referring to) and head west towards Kenosha on the CT, you will ride beautiful singletrack for some ways - several miles. Then the trails drops down quickly and it meets up with a little parking area and dirt entrance road. At that point the CT enters wilderness and you have to take a lightly traveled dirt road for a while and then hook back up with the CT for several more miles of beautiful singletrack to get to Kenosha. There are a couple of turns on the dirt roads however and I can't remember them for sure to describe here. If I rode it I'd remember.

But point is, I still think it would be worth you while to do what you plan if you map it out right.

No, no. There is no need to ride along 285 to get to Kenosha from Lost Creek!! You have to CROSS 285 once, right at Kenosha but that's it.

There is a stretch of dirt road you have to ride to get around that little bit of "CT is in the wilderness" section.

If you are starting from the east end (where I think the Lost Creek campground is that you are referring to) and head west towards Kenosha on the CT, you will ride beautiful singletrack for some ways - several miles. Then the trails drops down quickly and it meets up with a little parking area and dirt entrance road. At that point the CT enters wilderness and you have to take a lightly traveled dirt road for a while and then hook back up with the CT for several more miles of beautiful singletrack to get to Kenosha. There are a couple of turns on the dirt roads however and I can't remember them for sure to describe here. If I rode it I'd remember.

But point is, I still think it would be worth you while to do what you plan if you map it out right.

Ed E

Cool. I didn't know that you could get back on the CT before Kenosha. That dirt road, while not singletrack, would surely not be unpleasant...so there you go, start at the Lost Creek campground!

Friends don't let friends give their money to NORBA.
Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. - Mark Twain

Cool. I didn't know that you could get back on the CT before Kenosha. That dirt road, while not singletrack, would surely not be unpleasant...so there you go, start at the Lost Creek campground!

Ok - this was bugging me, I have investigated and am referencing the Pike National Forest map I have.

Let's say you start at Kenosha Pass and instead of the traditional "head west" towards Georgia Pass route you choose to cross 285 and head down that dirt road entrance on the east side of 285. Not too far down is the CT trailhead on the right.

You can follow the CT for X number of miles until it hits wilderness and does a small loop through it. Just before that wilderness boundary you will come across an intersection with a forest road - #133 - make a right (heading south). Follow that for just a bit and come to another intersection and make a left onto another dirt road - #56 (heading east). That will go for a couple/few miles and on the left eventually there will be another trailhead entrance. You can pick up the CT when it exits the wilderness at that point.

Take the CT on the right as you come into the parking area and that will take you up a climb and eventually to where it opens up to a gorgeous view of Lost Creek and a valley. The CT parallels the wilderness here for a while, it is just on the edge of it. You can go quite a ways on this section before it re-enters Lost Creek wilderness again.

Just before it does, there is a faint trail on the right - #607 - that will take you to Lost PARK camping area. It may get a bit confusing in this area as there are also some dirt roads at that intersection area. I think that faint trail, if my memory serves me, is just a little ways past the main intersection area.

If you are starting from Lost Park camping area, reverse course as described.